Issues of concern to people who live in the west: property rights, water rights, endangered species, livestock grazing, energy production, wilderness and western agriculture. Plus a few items on western history, western literature and the sport of rodeo... Frank DuBois served as the NM Secretary of Agriculture from 1988 to 2003. DuBois is a former legislative assistant to a U.S. Senator, a Deputy Assistant Secretary of Interior, and is the founder of the DuBois Rodeo Scholarship.

Thursday, March 17, 2005

NEWS ROUNDUP

Wolf views ignite cultural spat It was the rap heard 'round Oregon. Students from Portland's Sunnyside Environmental School gave their opinions on a state wolf plan at a February hearing. Some did it in unconventional ways: Two rapped along with boom-box music, three read a poem, and others made more direct statements. They talked of ranchers killing wolves and said the predators deserve to come back to Oregon. In return they got a lesson in the politics of wolves in the West. State Republican lawmakers chastised their "one-sided . . . street theater" in a letter to the school superintendent, and a pro-agriculture Web site called their education "severely deficient." If the reaction underscores the divide between Eastern and Western Oregon, both sides hope the students will learn from the episode. An Eastern Oregon county judge will speak this week at the school about cultural differences within the state.... Governor signs law creating state prairie dog management plan A state management plan that seeks to keep a sufficient population of prairie dogs while protecting landowners who don't want them has been signed into law by Gov. Mike Rounds. The state management plan sets a goal of 166,000 acres outside Indian reservations, just slightly above the long-term average in South Dakota. A combination of poisoning, incentive payments to ranchers and other techniques would be used to keep the population near the goal. The governor last week signed a separate measure to give ranchers more help in fighting the prairie dog invasion from adjoining private land. Prairie dogs could be treated as pests in some situations so county boards could poison them in a one-mile buffer zone on private land adjoining a rancher who does not want them....Hybridized fish prompt Yellowstone's proposed fishing rule changes Non-native trout are interbreeding with increasingly rare native cutthroat trout in Yellowstone National Park, and that's why anglers would be encouraged to take up to five non-native trout daily, under some proposed new rules, a biologist says. Rainbow trout have been found in Slough Creek, a renowned Yellowstone cutthroat fishery in the park's northern reaches, said Todd Koel, the top fisheries biologist in the park. When the two species live in the same water, they usually interbreed. Also, Koel said it has recently been confirmed that what had been thought to be a pure-strain population of westslope cutthroats in the North Fork of Fan Creek has been interbreeding with rainbows....Report: Navy Sonar Likely Made Orcas Flee Sonar pulsing from a Navy guided-missile destroyer during training exercises near the San Juan Islands two years ago was likely loud enough to send killer whales fleeing, according to a government agency report. The National Marine Fisheries Service report backed up local experts who said sonar from the USS Shoup caused a group of orcas to behave abnormally, apparently trying to avoid the sound. It contradicts the Navy's previous findings that orcas in Puget Sound's J Pod seemed unaffected by the sonar coming from the Shoup on May 5, 2003....Why Is the National Guard Hunting Shrimp? The Associated Press reports that biologists with the Idaho National Guard have discovered a new species of fairy shrimp in a desert lake bed. Dana Quinney and Jay Weaver first found the forked-tailed shrimp nine years ago and will publish their findings in an upcoming issue of the Journal of Crustacean Biology. Why does the National Guard need biologists who study shrimp? The biologists make sure that National Guard training exercises—which may include mobile howitzers, and Hellfire missiles fired from Apache helicopters—don't cause too much damage to the environment. Three civilian biologists work full-time for the natural resources program of the Idaho National Guard; in general, they review military training plans and monitor the use of the training area (which comprises 138,000 acres). Through regular surveys, they make sure that endangered species are preserved and ecological deterioration is kept to a minimum. The fairy shrimp species Quinney and Weaver discovered could merit special consideration in the planning of future exercises.... Beagle in training to root out pythons from Everglades park Visitors to the Everglades expect or even hope to encounter some scary swamp creatures. But the 20-foot snake draped across a two-lane road? That's a postcard moment wildlife officials want to erase. The Burmese Pythons increasingly spotted by tourists do not belong in the Everglades. But the Asian reptiles are multiplying here in troubling numbers, competing with native, endangered species for food and crossing the paths of startled tourists. Now the killer snakes might have finally met their match: a beagle puppy aptly named "Python Pete," who's being trained to sniff out the creatures so they can be captured and killed....Sea coral may be listed under Endangered Species Act For the first time, government officials have proposed protecting coral under the Endangered Species Act, and conservationists hope it's a first step toward staving off their extinction. Elkhorn and staghorn coral, the two coral proposed for listing, are related species and for the past 500,000 years have been the primary reef-builders for Florida and the Caribbean. But those coral have seen losses of 80 percent to 98 percent in the last few decades due to global warming, pollution and overfishing, though there is some disagreement among scientists about which threats are greatest. And like most sea creatures, they suffer from marine diseases that have become more numerous and virulent in recent decades. The branching coral are considered foundation species where they occur and an important defense for marine habitats against global warming....Wild Pig Hunt Aims to Save California Island Foxes The Channel Islands off the California coast are home to 145 species of plants and animals found nowhere else in the world. On Santa Cruz island, non-native feral pigs may be pushing the island's unique and endangered foxes to the brink of extinction. Now the island's managers are pushing back. The nonprofit Nature Conservancy owns 76 percent of Santa Cruz Island. The National Park Service owns the rest. Together the agencies have crafted an island management plan that calls for an end to the pigs' tenure in paradise. A New Zealand-based company will begin hunting operations later this month. The company will aim to eradicate the island pig population over the next two to three years. Hunters will use a combination of traps, dogs, and helicopters to root the animals from the island's rugged terrain—one-third of which is inaccessible by road....Senate Votes to Open Alaskan Oil Drilling A closely divided Senate voted Wednesday to approve oil drilling in an Alaska wildlife refuge, a major victory for President Bush and a stinging defeat for environmentalists who have fought the idea for decades. By a 51-49 vote, the Senate put a refuge drilling provision in next year's budget, depriving opponents of the chance to use a filibuster to try to block it. Filibusters, which require 60 votes to overcome, have been used to defeat drilling proposals in the past....Horse, mule riders lasso a stunning camping spot in redrock country Finding suitable backcountry camping facilities can be difficult for equine enthusiasts: Camping spots are typically too small to accommodate horse trailers, and the larger group sites are in high demand. But in the desert country of southeastern Utah, home to many of film director John Ford's best-known Westerns, horse and mule riders now have a reservation-based camp site built especially for them. Since January, the U.S. Bureau of Land Management (BLM), in cooperation with the Southeastern Utah Chapter of Backcountry Horsemen and Grand County's Trail Mix group (which works on developing and maintaining all kinds of nonmotorized backcountry trails), has worked to construct the new horse camp and corral along scenic Onion Creek against the scenic backdrop of Fisher Towers.... Beetle infestation at epidemic levels on forest land Bark beetle infestations have reached epidemic proportions within Region 1 of the U.S. Forest Service, with trees on at least 1.6 million acres infected with a number of different types of these bugs. Bark beetles are a natural forest resident and provide valuable services in limited numbers. But an aging forest and dense tree stands, coupled with recent drought conditions, have led the beetles to multiply to levels that are cutting huge swaths across Idaho, Montana and part of Yellowstone National Park.... BLM puts stop to plans for heli-mushing camp Opposition from people concerned about helicopter traffic and noise stopped plans for a heli-mushing camp on the Nenana Glacier near Denali National Park and Preserve this summer. Era Aviation had already started booking trips for the new tour when the Bureau of Land Management informed the company it would not issue a permit to operate dog sled tours on the Nenana Glacier this summer. "We came to the conclusion there were too many adverse effects that would result from noise; that was the main factor," said Will Runnoe, bureau chief for visitor services with BLM in Glennallen....Developer avoids prison in wetlands case A Midland developer whose feud over wetlands has lasted more than 15 years was sentenced Tuesday to probation he had already served - despite a higher court's ruling that he should go to prison. John A. Rapanos was convicted in 1995 of illegally filling wetlands in properties he owned in Bay, Midland and Saginaw counties. U.S. District Judge Lawrence Zatkoff of Detroit accused the government of going overboard with its insistence on prison, in part because of Rapanos' personality. "We have a very disagreeable person who insists on his Constitutional rights," Zatkoff said. "This is the kind of person the Constitution was passed to protect." The judge sentenced Rapanos to three years of probation, 200 hours of community service, and a $185,000 fine. That was identical to the original sentence, and Rapanos already has completed it.... Water forecast poor for Klamath irrigators The water forecast for the Klamath Basin continues to get worse, with a skinny snowpack that is quickly melting and little rain in sight, but federal irrigation managers hope to meet most of their obligations for farms as well as fish. Snowpack in the mountains above the Klamath Reclamation Project is 28 percent of normal, declining about 1 percent a day. The latest forecast for water running into the primary reservoir serving the federal irrigation system dropped by 20 percent the past two weeks to 210,000 acre feet, Klamath project manager Dave Sabo said Wednesday. "That is putting us down into one of the three or four driest years on record since 1961," Sabo said. The Klamath Reclamation Project serves about 1,400 farms on 180,000 acres straddling the Oregon-California border south of Klamath Falls....Tailings must be moved, 2 states tell congressmen A giant pile of radioactive waste sitting near the banks of the Colorado River poses unacceptable risks and needs to be moved, California and Utah officials told a congressional briefing Tuesday. The 12 million tons of tailings sit several miles northwest of Moab and 750 feet from the river that provides drinking water to 25 million people, most of them in California. The tailings are residue from a uranium mill that stopped operating in 1984 and was taken over by the Department of Energy in 2000. "You can't consider our water supply safe if those are in our headwaters," said Dennis Underwood, vice president for Colorado River resources at the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California. "It's public health that's endangered here.".... Border battle takes on NAFTA A group of Alberta ranchers is taking their battle over the U-S border closure to a higher court. Wednesday, Canadian Cattlemen for Free Trade served a notice of arbitration under the North American Free Trade Agreement. The group, made up of 120 ranchers and feed lot operators, is suing the U-S federal government for 300-million dollars. It plans to argue that the government contravened the agreement when it closed the border to Canadian beef. "The government of the United States has to treat Canadian investors no differently than they treat their own investors," says Rick Paskal, of CCFT. "We feel we have had discriminatory treatment towards us and that is the basis for our case." The case could get a lot larger in scope.... Governor proclaims 'Chris LeDoux Day' on July 30 Gov. Dave Freudenthal proclaimed July 30, 2005, the last day of Cheyenne Frontier Days, as "Chris LeDoux Day" in Wyoming. LeDoux, who sold more than 6 million albums, died last Wednesday of complications from liver cancer. He was 56. "Chris LeDoux has meant a lot to Wyoming, from his earliest days of riding bareback to his later days of making music," Freudenthal said. "Cheyenne Frontier Days, when fans of both will gather, seems like an appropriate time to honor his memory."....Brazile is still looking for first win Even world champions face stretches of adversity. Just ask team ropers Speed Williams and Rich Skelton. Last year, the duo went through the first three months of the rodeo season without winning a dime. They eventually got on track and went on to win their eighth consecutive world championship. "Even though times get tough, you just can't give up," said Williams. That's something three-time world all-around champion Trevor Brazile, considered the consummate artist with a rope, is experiencing. The Decatur, Texas, cowboy is bogged down in a winning drought, and he cannot be found anywhere in the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association standings. But he's not really that concerned....Washington Town Auctions Off Testicle Titles Organizers of the Cowboy Caviar festival in Conconully are auctioning off the titles of "King and Queen of the Ball" on eBay. The winning royal couple will receive free lodging, entertainment and food in the north central Washington town for three days. They will reign over a contest to see which of three restaurants can cook up the best bull testicles. The town of 200 hopes to attract more attention to the June 18 event, which sold 60 tickets last year. Marilyn Church of the Chamber of Commerce says some people plan their summer vacations around testicle festivals.